Azoth or The Star In The East- Commentary Part 1

"I knew on a very deep level that this was a Sacred Art"

Alchemy is known as the Royal Art. It is an art in the sense that it calls forth both the creative and destructive forces within. It stimulates both the inner and the outer, and gives a greater meaning to that which at first glance may seem worthless or trite. It opens the world like a book to the hungry reader and tells a magnificent tale of worlds outside, within, and surrounding our own. It is Royal or Noble in that it repels any superfulous influence. Its is a path of purity, of higher status for the soul trapped in a muddied world, one that places the crown of immortabilty on anyone who would undergo its trials and blessings. It is spoken of in Greek Myth and in Spiritual Allegory. In fact, I would say that it is the only Art. Truly every spiritual tradition, every system of High Magic, every mystical teaching is only an extension of the process of alchemy The transmutation of the soul from the state of unknowingness and plumbous nature of lead to that of the perfected, incorruptable, and auriferous nature of gold. To elevate oneself from the imperfect to the perfect, to be a vessel which holds the essence of the All, and can with a touch turn other things imperfect into their exhalted counter-parts...that is the nature of the mystical life, the spiritual life. To those who seek the Royal Path I offer a commentary on portions of Azoth or the Star of the East. It's purpose to offer a bridge for your own research and development in the Great Work for you will see that alchemical texts draw from many, many sources and it is the work of the alchemist to delve into each mystery slowly uncovering its source and its meaning, digesting it and making it apart of oneself. And as I am a student always and forever I welcome any commentary from fellow alchemists and mystics alike. May we all move forward together in the Great Work. I hope this short blog is helpful and interesting. I will be off on a spiritual journey for a few weeks time, so this one is short but when I return I shall continue with Part II.

Nosce te Ipsum

Soror FSO

Preface.

In the books of the old physical Mystics, who conducted the experiments of transmutation and investigated the possibility of Nature in the world of metals and minerals, we find frequent reference to an all-permeateing and sublimating principle, which of the many forces deal with or referred to in occult chemistry appears most potent and most universal.

metals and minerals- refers to a more advanced stage of alchemy usually partaken of only after mastery of the

vegetable/herbal realm in which one has completed the "vegetable stone" known as the Minor Opus. This is the process of balancing and purifying the elements within through seperation and recombination. This work corresponds to the work of the Outer Order in the Golden Dawn taking one from Malkuth to the threshold of Tiphareth as well as to the world of Yetzirah and its effects on the astral body. The mineral work corresponds to the permanent psychic changes that are made in Briah, the Inner Order work and the spheres of Tiphareth, Geburah, and Chesed.

all-permeating;all-evading- Azoth is effective in all planes and for all times

sublimating-the spiritualization of matter; purification, the raising of one's vibrational energy. In chemistry this corresponds to the process of transition from a solid to gas with no liquid phase in between. Sublimation begins with the removal of the superfulous so that the purest parts remain possessing only the quality of the spirit, the term sublimation can also refer to the creation of the astral body.

It is the 'essential and final principle of the Great Work; its analogies in the intelligible order are to be found in the Divine Will; it is, allegorically speaking, the hand of God in Nature, and therefore in its symbolical aspect, as the outward sign of a withdrawn and unattainable potency; it has not been inappropriately designated the God of the Sages.

intelligible- denoting the metaphysical ream which is accessible to the intellect as opposed to the world of phenomena accessible only to the five senses. According to Pythagoras there are two worlds the sensible and the intelligible, the latter has the Monad as an originating principle. Plato also expounded on the intelligble world using his "Divided Line" analogy, a quick summery which can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analogy_of_the_divided_line

This force is the alchemical Azoth, The Catholicon, Magnesia, The Sperm of the World, Mercury, and the "Universal Medicine of Things, endowed with the most intent and concentrated virtue.

Azoth- The Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and the End, formed from the first and last letters of the hebrew alphabet Aleph-Tav

Catholicon- a remedy for ills

Magnesia-the "white" or "red" magnesia, the "magnet of Jah", the attractive principle of Divine Wisdom. This 'magnet' is also the power of attraction which establishes the orbits of the planets and the astronomical order of the heavens ( we hear this echoed in the Zelator initiation "He has bound Man with the Stars as with a chain. He allures him with Scattered Fragments of the Divine Body in bird and beast and flower, and He laments over him in the Wind and in the Sea and in the birds".\) It is the matter of the Stone. It "yields to nothing but love because generation is her aim and this is never accomplished through violence" The Sperm of the World from which all things are naturally generated, she (Magnesia) is of a middle nature (the Reconciler)

"It contains within itself" says the Book of the Wood of Life, "all other Medicines, as well as the first principle of all other substances, their accidents excluded. Unto this all things are alike; it uncovers every species, and imparts and immense streangth and catholic, central virtue.

catholic- universal

accidents-The nine accidents are quality, quantity, relation,action, passion, time, place, disposition, rainment. Accident was a term used by Pythagoras to describe a quality that was not apart of something's inherent nature (substance). For example a dog is a dog whether it is black or white. Therefore the dog is the substance, and the color is its accident. When the substance and accidents are reconciled together they form the one title, the perfect number, iota (10) (Matt 5:18: Verily I say unto you, till the heaven and earth pass away, one iota, or one title may not pass away from the law, till that all may come to pass). The iota is associated with the letter Yod-Hand in the hebrew alphabet. It is also associated with Virgo and The Hermit in the Tarot. (refer to the previous reference as Azoth being the hand of God in Nature)

A Very Special Announcement!*DrumRoll*

I am very pleased to announce that we have completed the solidification of

The Order of the Golden Dawn: Collegium Spiritu Sancti

With The Affilitate Temples:

The Grand Temple of Ptah Chicago, IL www.templeptah.org

The Temple of Thoth-Hermes Denver, CO

The Temple of Het-Heret Seattle, WA

And The Sanctuaries of

Isis Los Angeles, CA

Maat San Fransisco, CA

We will be hosting our Summer Conclave August 1-6th at The Grand Temple of Ptah!

http://templeptah.org/powerweek/index.htm

So far over 150 students have pre-registed and it looks as if it will the largest gathering in history! We would be blessed to see you there!

I would like to extend a special thanks to my brothers and sisters for putting in the hard-work to make this happen so quickly and efficiently. I am continuously inspired by your dedication, integrity, hard-work, loving-kindness, and connection with the Spirit. You have made my decision to stay apart of this wonderful tradition a blessing.

I would also like to thank the Golden Dawn community for your support. I have been humbled by the out-flowing of love you have all showed us during this transition.

We are pleased to finally have the opportunity to live, learn, and teach this tradition in the way that we have all dreamed of. To be apart of an Order that focuses on love, peace, truth, integrity, conscious living, and dedication to the spirit is a blessing. I am proud that we have seen this dream come into fruition and have already seen that it is the start of many beautiful things to come.

Nosce Te Ipsum,

VH Soror FSO

Order of the Golden Dawn:Collegium Spiritum Sancti

I Can't Be Your Superman!

And now for a candid announcement....Sometimes I think the "B" in blog stands for bullshit. First of all having the ability to post whatever you want on the internet gives people the false impression that they are an "authority" which gives them permission to wag their dicks in anyone's faces about any subject what so ever....yes, I'm sure there is some comfort being a keyboard cowboy from the privacy of your own living room knowing you can say whatever you like and no one is going to come to your door and punch you in the face. Secondly, it's very funny how people begin to acquire a belief that just because you write a blog that means you wear some kind of "S" on you're chest and you can go around saving the world, physically swooping in to stop evil in it's tracks...and when you don't, well, hell hath no fury like an "Anonymous Poster" scorned...

And thus in light of these things above, from the comfort of my living room, key-board cowboy style, I'm going to break down this reality check for some of you real quick...(obviously this post is not meant for everyone)

1. Soror FSO posts things to her blog that she believes are relevant and worth her time. Whereas you may have a day job and get to sit at home surfing the internet with nothing else to do after work or during work my time is precious. Getting a MA degree in physics/biomedical engineering is no easy feat, and when I am not spending 40hrs a week on my homework I have a child, husband, house, students, and if I have the time, some magic to attend to. This means that responding to every moan, bitch, and complain that crosses the internet regrading "The Golden Dawn" is not on my agenda. If it's relevant and I believe makes an impact I will take the time to write about it...i.e. I did not feel that "Robert Zink" coming down to the Temple of Isis was anything to sneeze at. Yes, when rampaged around the internet and various blogs it sure seemed like the apocolypse had come and gone...the truth of the matter is that it was more like a fly landing on your back at the beach, annoying to say the least. Which brings me to my next point.

2. Robert does not have control of anything except the hearts and minds of five people....count 'em baby uno, dos, tres, quatro, cinco, sies!...Hot Damn! One whole hand! Maybe if Robert works really hard and doesn't screw anyone over by stealing anyone else's credit card information he might get that up to two hands pretty quickly...a far cry from the few hundred students which used to be apart of that Order...Did you know that when Sideshow Bob showed up to EQ, the Adepti and members vacated the premises?! Essentially Robert went down there and played "Big Fish in a Small Pond", Imperator of five people...go Robert!, after all those years you're back to where you started. And for those of you who are so "pissed" that we "let" Robert have the Temple did you also know that the lease of Isis is in the hands of those few people who love Robert so much? O! that gives me such great legal grounds to go down there and shut that whole "operation" down. Super Soror to the rescue!

3. Soror FSO is not apart of the EOGD anymore, and doesn't care what they do. Yes, I could get all upset and say "O, well Robert still has the ability to hurt people", but first of all, I did not sign up to be the Robert Zink police. I have been doing that since I was a Theoricus, and was even proudly kicked out of the Order twice because I got on Robert's bad side for not 'cowtowing' to his whims. Short of going up to La Crosse, WI and doing something illegal that will put me in jail there is really nothing else that can be done. The ownership of Isis is in the hands of those few who stayed with him. The rest of us few hundred people who were in that Order no longer have anything to do with him, them, or however they decided to live their life...it's democracy at its finest. So for all you little "Judgemental Judys" out there who want to act like we are the bad guys, I would like to make it clear that you have just as much power to do something about him as I do which includes...

1.Not recognizing him as a member of the Golden Dawn community

2. Boycotting his forums and blogs which include the World-Wide Forum

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Golden-Dawn-Forum-World-Wide/messages?o=1

http://golden-dawn.blogspot.com/

http://esotericgoldendawn.wordpress.com/

3.Suggesting to people whom he screws over that they press charges on him..which is the right thing to do. ( I would do this, but I never gave him a red cent)

4. Offering something better than what he has to offer

5. Informing those who may show interest to do a small amount of research

6. Help me to write an "Initiates Bill of Rights" which I will be making my next blog post about.

So now, Soror FSO is going to do what she has been wanting to do since she was a Theoricus and finally has the ability to do... be apart of an Order full of people I respect, enjoy doing magic, enjoy not dealing with drama, and that includes the internet bullshit. Most likely, (unless I feel its really relevant to discuss) this will be my last blog post which even gives credence to the Golden Dawn drama. There is so much more to this beautiful tradition and its time for me, and all of us to start living it. If you feel the same way, I say let's fill the internet, it's blogs, and forums with information that will light the way for people seeking the Light, let's turn our focus back to the Divine. Lets stop "defending the tradition" and start showing people our knowledge, our growth, and how to live the life of a mage...let's show them the tradition. Yes, I know there will always be those drama queens who can't quit gossiping, but I've learned its up to you whether you want to involve yourself in it or not. One can just as easily read a blog relevant to magic where they will learn something as they can read a blog that is essentially the "National Enquirer" of the Golden Dawn. Be an informed magician, be a smart magician. Ask questions, do research, study magic...leave all the distraction behind.

Update From Frater Francesco

Some of you may have read a blog earlier this week written by Frater Franscesco. I just wanted to share his update with everyone :) Sorry haters, I know you were waiting for the mud-slinging to get into full swing. I have always been proud to be apart of the EOGD, and after witnessing the actions of these wonderful people to make amends...I can say that I remain a proud member and Adept. Thank you brothers for all your hard work.

FSO

http://fraterfrancesco.blogspot.com/

Response To Nick Farrell's Blog Post "Revolution in an Esoteric Order"

Earlier today I came across Nick Farrell's new blog post "Revolution in an Esoteric Order". After reading it, it became apparent to me that there is still quite a bit of misunderstanding regarding the expulsion of Robert Zink so I thought I might expound upon it a bit so that the community was clear of the intentions for doing so (although I thought they were made clear in the public announcement).

First and most importantly I want to be very, very, clear that Robert was not expelled due to a vie for power amongst the Adepti of our Order, nor because we did not "like" the way Robert was running it. Robert Zink was expelled because he was victimizing the students who joined our Order through the illegal activities of theft, credit-card fraud, and inappropriate sexual advances to the female members of the Order. These activities became so gross and so often (daily) that as an Order (Outer and Inner) we were forced to take extreme measures. This was not a decision that was made lightly, and it was made as a last resort when all other attempts to help him reform (attempts we had been making for years) failed. After his expulsion I received a sea of e-mails from other Order members, current students, and ex-members who were quite thankful and exclaimed "What took you so long?!"

For those of you who were wondering what took us so long, the truth of the matter is that as an Order and especially as a Body of Adepti, being of a Rosicrucian lineage...we debated for a long time whether or not it was the proper and right thing as a Rosicrucian to do. Rosicrucian values teach love and forgiveness...does kicking out the "head" of the Order represent those ideals? It was only after seeing the intense pain, and suffering that was being caused to our members, and through much contemplation, and contact with spiritual guides that we realized something very important....as Adepti we are the servants, we serve our students just as the Shepard serves his flock. It is our duty to protect them, to guide them, to teach them, and above all not to break the spiritual trust of a student who is seeking the Truth in the mysteries. Above all, this is our utmost goal...the protection and care of our students, not the support of one man who has dedicated the better part of his esoteric career taking advantage of them.

Secondly, I would like to make it known that Robert was not the "founder" of our Order. Although he may have been appointed Chief and held that title for many years, he did not start the Order. The Order was started by a group of individuals, who after seeing a time of intense growth within their group decided to vote on a Chief after a round of testing. Robert was voted in as Chief, along with two other Chiefs (three in all) and as such he was voted out and expelled when he failed for over twenty years to fulfill his duties as a spiritual leader.

Thirdly, I would like to point out that throughout the history of our Order, the culture, presence and current was created by the group of people who worked very diligently to make this Order grow and thrive despite Robert's continued efforts to sabotage it...not by Robert himself. Nonetheless a Golden Dawn Order does not belong to one person, it belongs to all people. It is meant to be founded for the betterment of people, not for the ego-stroking of one person. The things that are built throughout time are built by the people...for the people. It sounds very American of me to say this, but a spiritual tradition who serves only one person is a cult not a service to the Divine or to the seeker of Light.

Lastly, we have not changed the workings of the Order thus far because it is the Order that we love, an Order that was created by the blood, sweat, and tears of many, many people with the markings of all these people's efforts. For as long as I have been around I have not seen Robert put one cent into the Order, nay he has spent many years instead draining Temple funds, scaring away our students by charging gas, snacks, and little league parties on thier credit cards without permission. Every Temple, every tool, every Power Week has been accomplished because of the sheer will and dedication of the members, and it is to the members that the Order shall go.

We may in the near future decide to change courses, but as I stated on another blog, our current efforts are focused on making sure that our students stay protected. As of now Robert is still attempting to use the EOGD name to gain access to people's credit card information and use it for unauthorized purchases via his website. We are currently working to put a stop to this, everything else is inconsequential.

The Essence of The Rosicrucian

A very bright student sent me a ritual earlier this week that she had been working on for me to review. As I was reading through it I came across something I had not thought about in awhile, but which has always been very profound to me. It is often known at "The Confession" or "Negative Confession" which is taken from the "Papyrus if Ani". If you are familiar with Egyptian mythology and especially if you are a student of the Golden Dawn you should be well familiar with The Egyptian Book of The Dead aka the Pert-Em-Hru, which roughly translates to "The Book of Coming Forth By Day".

In it the soul of the deceased, guided by Anubis is brought through the underworld to re-unite with Osiris. Some of you may know of this as an analogy for The Great Work, or Alchemia. As the soul (candidate) is taken through the Duat (underworld) he is brought before Maat, who weighs the heart against the weight of her feather. Should the soul be lighter than the feather than it would be granted eternal life in the Duat and unification with Osiris. If it weigh heavier the soul would be consumed by Ammit a creature depicted with the head of a crocodile, the hind-legs of a hippopotums, and the forequarters of a lion.

The beauty of "The Confession" is that it really expressed the true essence of what it means to be a Rosicrucian. And in return it affirms the connection that Rosicrucianism has with Egypt both alchemically and in spiritual teachings. I believe "The Confession" is one of those rare pieces of human history that represents the true essence of "The Rosicrucian Way" It is by standards such as these that an Adept of the Rose and Cross should seek to live in his life by...by the highest of standards. Presented below is "The Confession".

I hope you will enjoy this, and should you have any suggestions for other texts in this vein please feel free to leave them in the comments section so that myself and others may explore them. I highly recommend "The Ladder of Divine Ascent" by John Climacus and "Rosicrucian Symbols" by Franz Hartmann. The latter has a wonderful chapter on living the Rosicrucian Way.

Nosce te Ipsum

-FSO

"I have destroyed wickedness. I have not done evil to mankind. I have not oppressed the members of my family. I have not wrought evil in place of right and truth. I have no intimacy with worthless men. I have not demanded first consideration. I have not decreed that excessive labor be performed for me. I have not brought forward my name for exaltation or honors. I have not defrauded the oppressed of their property. I have made no man suffer hunger. I have made no one to weep. I have caused no pain to be inflicted upon man or animal. I have not defrauded the temple of their oblations. I have not diminished from the bushel. I have not filched away land. I have not encroached upon the fields of others. I have not added to the weights of the scales to cheat the seller and I have not misread the pointer of the scales to cheat the buyer. I have not kept milk from the mouths of children. I have not turned back the water at the time it should flow. I have not extinguished the fire when it should burn. I have not repulsed God in His Manifestation."

and following this confession we often say...

For I am Osiris triumphant, Even Osiris Onnophris, the Justified One. I am He who is clothed with the body of flesh, yet in whom is the spirit of the Great Unknowable One. I am the Lord of Life, triumphant over death. He who partaketh with me shall rise with me. I am the Manifestor in matter of those whose abode is in the invisible. I am purified; I stand upon the universe, I am the reconciler with the eternal gods, I am the perfector of matter and without me the universe is naught.

The Truth About Robert Zink's "Expulsion"

Avete My Brothers and Sisters,

Unfortunately today I write with a heavy heart. As you know I have been "off the radar" for quite some time. I have said a few times this has been due to my graduate studies, however the real truth is that troubling Order needs have taken up the bulk of my time. I have been remiss in writing this particular blog because it deals with many sensitive issues. However, recent incidents surrounding the announcement of Robert Zink's expulsion have made it necessary that I confirm the truth regarding this incident.

On Febuary 5th a public announcement was made by "The Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn" that Robert Zink had been permanently deposed from his position as Chief and expelled indefinitley. Every claim in this document is true, just as are the names of every Adept of the Second Order including myself.

Due to this announcement please know that the websites www.esotericgoldendawn.com and www.golden-dawn.org are owned and operated by Robert Zink and thus no longer belong to the Order. We will not be accepting any applications via these websites. You may however visit http://templeptah.org/links.html for links to our Temples and Sanctuaries.

For those of you who may not have seen it I will post the official announcement below. You will note that every Adepts' decision was completely accounted for.

Also, please know that this decision was not made light-heartedly, nor in a spirit of hate or spite. It was made only after much deliberation, reflection, and in communion with those who guide our Order in the material and immaterial. It was made with the heaviest of hearts.

Light in Extension,

Soror FSO/POIO

Official Announcement February 5th ,2011

Greetings in LVX,

It is come to the point where we of the Second Order have to take the
unfortunate action of deposing former G.H. Frater P.D.R. (Robert Zink) of his
highly influential position and expelling him from the Esoteric Order of the
Golden Dawn. He received the grievances from the Adepti of the Second Order,
but was still given a great deal of time and opportunity to reform his ways. In
response to this, he persists to hold himself above accountability and has gone
to great lengths to secure his own position through surreptitiously ensuring as
much of the Order's assets were under his sole control as possible. There are
many grievances that the Body of Adepti has brought to him, however the main
points that have lead to this final decision are as follows:

1. Robert Zink has taken thousands of dollars from Initiates and Adepti in
return for promised products and services that he did not deliver on, nor
refund. His poor business practices continue to afflict many Initiates and
Adepti and, despite many promises of reform, he has shown no signs of changing
or even slowing down.

2. Robert Zink has used the forums, materials and name of the Esoteric Order of
the Golden Dawn in connection with his personal products and services against
the will of the Second Order and has refused to stop doing so. The result has
been that the public and our own initiates perceive that our Order endorses his
products and services. Let it be clear that the Esoteric Order of the Golden
Dawn does not endorse his products and services, nor do we approve of them at
all.

3. Robert Zink has created and uses several blogs and forums that he has
connected with our Order's name to make personal attacks on other members of the
Golden Dawn Community especially, but not limited to, David Griffin. Let it be
understood, that although David Griffin's Order and ours operate under very
different philosophies and interpretations of the Golden Dawn Tradition, we do
not condone these attacks by Robert Zink and they do not reflect the attitudes
of the Adepti of our Second Order.

4. Robert Zink has abused his position of influence along with his well-studied
knowledge of techniques such as Neuro-Linguistic Programming and psychological
manipulation to endear a substantial number of Outer Order initiates to his
personal unpaid servitude. We find this practice cultish, detestable and in no
way a reflection of the true principles and practices of the Golden Dawn
Tradition.

5. Robert Zink threatened and in several cases has admitted to performing magic
intended to cause harm upon several initiates and Adepti when they attempted to
hold him accountable for his poor business transactions and mistreatment of
members of our Order and their non-initiate family.

As a result of the above points, Robert Zink has sullied the spiritual and
magical development of a great many initiates of our Order. In addition he has
caused great and in many cases irreparable damage to our Order's reputation and
the reputation of the Golden Dawn Tradition as a whole in the eyes of the
public.

It is for these reasons and many others not mentioned here that Robert Zink,
formerly G.H. Frater P.D.R., is stripped of his rank, position, and authority
and expelled from the Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn.

Let it be understood that due to his surreptitious actions, the websites of our
Order under the names of www.golden-dawn.org and www.esotericgoldendawn.com are
under his personal control. All moneys, inquiries and applications sent via
these websites currently go to him personally and do not go to our Order. Any
personal information provided to his sites will ultimately be used by him as
part of his marketing database to promote his personal products. No Temple of
our Order supports him nor will perform initiations on behalf of those from whom
he accepts money and applications. As such, any promise of initiation, astral
or otherwise, that he makes will be a deception.

For the time being the official websites representing the Esoteric Order of the
Golden Dawn as a whole will be those of our two Grand Temples: info.eogdisis.com
and www.templeptah.org.

Sincerely and in LVX,
The Chiefs and Adepti of the Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn


APPROVAL RECORD:
The undersigned represent the entire body of the Second Order. With the
exception of only a couple verbal responses, all approval statements are on
file. It should be noted that all the Chiefs and Adepti of our Order, including
the dissenting votes, agree that the accusations given above are true and that
something must be done to protect the public and our own initiates. Those
dissenting disagree only with the action of expulsion. With 3 Chief Adepti vs. 1
for expulsion and one abstention and the overwhelming approval of the Adepti of
the Second Order, this act of expulsion is confirmed.

Approve, GH Frater AA, Chief Adept
Approve, GH Frater ICL, Chief Adept
Approve, GH Frater SI, Chief Adept
Abstain, GH Frater BT, Chief Adept, Nuance: Agrees that the accusations are
true, agrees that Robert Zink's contact with the Outer Order should be cut
Disapprove, GH Frater TDL, Chief Adept, Nuance: Agrees that the accusations are
true

Approve, VH Frater IC
Approve, VH Frater SD
Approve, VH Soror CMU
Approve, VH Frater CDD
Approve, VH Frater P
Approve, VH Frater VMP
Approve, VH Frater OOA
Approve, VH Soror RT
Approve, VH Frater MD (Ptah)
Approve, VH Frater MD (LLL)
Approve, VH Frater PV
Approve, VH Soror AEI
Approve, VH Frater ID
Approve, VH Soror POIO
Approve, VH Soror VPP
Approve, VH Frater FOF
Approve, VH Soror SM
Approve, VH Frater SA
Approve, VH Frater CE
Approve, VH Soror B
Abstain, VH Frater SLS, Nuance: Agrees that the accusations are true, agrees
that Robert Zink's contact with the Outer Order should be cut
Abstain, VH Soror P, Nuance: Agrees that the accusations are true, agrees that
Robert Zink's contact with the Outer Order should be cut
Disapprove, VH Frater DN (D), Nuance: Agrees that the accusations are true
Disapprove, VH Frater DN (T), Nuance: Agrees that the accusations are true,
agrees that Robert Zink's contact with the Outer Order should be cut

Update On The Magical Community's Help For Haiti

You are all amazing. Seriously. Over the past few days the magical community has really stepped up to do magical healing and support work for the victims of the Haitian earthquake...and it is really paying off. Right now the relief efforts have been stepped up a notch...Isn't it amazing to know that no matter what happens in the world as a magician you can always do something to help, to move people, resources, and Light to those in need. My heart-felt appreciation goes out to all of you. A special thanks goes out to my readers, our fellow blogger St. Balthazar, my Facebook friends in the esoteric community, the EOGD, Robert Zink, and Mary Kresky for stepping up to promote this cause and for doing the magical work to support it. Keep up the good work all of you!

Purification of The Soul Through the Loving Gift of Gratitude

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that you were as blessed by the season as I was. Although, I have to admit, as a creature of habit I am more than happy to finally be back into my regular schedule...and I am very exited about this coming year! Did anyone notice that amazing full moon we had on the first?...a beautiful healing moon, full of nurturing energy. My hope for myself, my students, and all my readers is that we all remember everyday how blessed we are (even if the circumstances seem dire), and take that gratitude and share it with others...this is the best way to bring even more blessings into our life.

I was blessed over the holidays to learn a true lesson about gratitude (in retrospect, how appropriate!) and I have come to see that it is a real tool to happiness...one that can be used to bring positivity and healing to any situation. Over the holiday I was in beautiful, sunny California at an an amazing condo on the beach in San Diego, a city which has a million fun things to do. I was really looking forward to having a, fun filled vacation...and what happened? Someone was sick every day I was there. First it was my son, then my mother, then my husband, then my mother in law...it was really a recipe for disaster- a bad mood, and a bad trip just waiting to happen. Whereas in the past I would have let my attachment to my expectations, and my desire to have the trip be a certain way cause me to be disappointed, then irritable, then angry, then just plain worn out from 2 1/2 wks of sickness...I was determined to not let it be so. Recently I have been working very hard to not be attached to my desires, expectations, or material inclinations...and this to me was a great test for that. But, I have to admit that while this has been my goal I wasn't quite sure how to reach it. Was it through control of my thoughts, or by constant testing until it was burned out of me, or through prayer and fasting? What I found through my Christmas ordeal...was that the key was gratitude. No matter what happens, no matter what is taken away...there is still something to be grateful for. And whereas intellectually one may think that by attaching your consciousness toward another material thing would be contrary to the goal...gratitude for the blessings in your life has the alternate effect of going beyond the ego, and taking us away from attachment. I realized the fullness of this concept in the simplest of choices I made while on vacation. My son was sick? How thankful I was that I could watch over him, while to beautiful ocean was outside to soothe me. My husband was ill? How wonderful it was that it didn't happen until he got to CA so I could be with him and see him after a week of being gone. My mother was throwing up? How thankful I was for the time we did get to spend having heart to heart conversations...every time a feeling of hopelessness tried to take over I would combat it with gratitude and thanksgiving to the Divine for all the great things I did receive while there. Even if I didn't get to go surfing, and to the amusement park, and around to take more photographs (I love photography), the small, simple moments were far more meaningful. And although this may seem like a small lesson learned in a small situations...the power of gratitude showed itself to me during a far more difficult time in my life when I was no where near where I am in my consciousness today...when I was truly lost in darkness.

There was a time when I was so wrapped up in my own pain that at one point I couldn't get out of bed. My depression was so debilitating that it culminated in me dropping out of college. One day, as I lay there in bed, thinking about my life, I realized that no one was going to "save" me. No friend or family member was going to come bursting through my door and say "Get up! its time to start living your life!" It was up to me to take the first step to having a fulfilling and happy life. I thought "there are so many people who are happy, what is different for them?" and from somewhere deep inside,(which I now realize was the whisper of my Higher Self) I heard a tiny voice that told me...choice. We all have a choice. The world is the world, and we see it for what we believe it to be. There are just as many "bad" things as there are "good", there are just as many "mean" people as there are "nice"...but we see what we want. I was always flabbergasted when I was out driving, or shopping, or going to school by how rude and inconsiderate people were. But how many people had been nice that I hadn't noticed? Were people maybe extra rude because I was always in a foul mood? On and on my thoughts swirled around in my head, and I went from thinking that I was a victim of a terrible curse to realizing that I had some control over my life, and that maybe my life was a result of who I was inside. So I took that first step, allowing my feet to slide out from the covers and feel the carpet beneath my bed, and I thought "how nice it is to have carpet". Who do you know had been thankful for carpet? But that thought was a start, a new way to look at the world. It was a new way to cultivate an attitude that wasn't so full of darkness and despair; a way that kind of tickled my heart and gave me hope. After all those months it was like a refreshing drink of water given in the desert. So I started to cultivate the attitude of gratitude when I could...of course having a new attitude about life was a challenge to overcome, but now I had a tool. So I counted my blessings- food, shelter, the ability to not have to sleep in a cold street in the winter, health...in the beginning my blessings seemed few, but there was always at least one things that I could be grateful for and over time I realized how great even the smallest one seemed. And now 12 years later, I have so many blessings, family, friends, happiness, healthy, a graduate degree, a beautiful son, and this lesson has come full circle in the smallest of circumstances...an illness over Christmas vacation, and I am made fully aware of its power.

The only way to true happiness is to look outside our small selves to our Higher Self which resides within us and throughout the whole universe...to realize our intimate connection with everything and everyone. The material realm, the material consciousness of the ego strives for more, and is never satisfied always leaving us feeling empty no matter how much we gain. But, when we connect to our Higher Self, we connect to the source of all and thus can never feel empty. We accomplish this by purifying ourselves to our lower natures and exalting our Higher Self. Gratitude is the loving way to purification, for it automatically humbles us and withdraws us from the ego. It fills us with love, hope, and kindness, and causes us to want to share it with others...thus becoming a self-perpetuating gift.

May we be grateful for all that we have this year, and share our blessings with others.

Nosce Te Ipsum

Soror FSO

For information on how to receive training in the Hermetic Arts, and The Golden Dawn please contact me at werisetogether@gmail.com

I Heart the Golden Dawn!

Compared to my other blogs this one may seem a little bit more informal...the reason being that I would like to express something from my heart and my life experience rather than my intellect.

If one were to judge the Golden Dawn by the internet alone, really, who would join? Seemingly it is one negative comment after another.

But, I would like those people who read my blog to know that my experience of the Golden Dawn and the experience of many, many, other people is one of joy, growth, love, harmony, self-sacrifice, knowledge, gnosis, prosperity, and fulfillment. I am blessed everyday to be apart of this community, and the only time I ever experience negativity is when I get on the internet, and have to read blogs and posts about how someone is a fake, a cheat, or fill in the blank with some slander. Yes, I have witnessed and experienced the frailty of the human condition in this community and in every community I have ever been apart of... work, gym, church, meditation group, family, Golden Dawn, but how many people in this world have actually reached the status of an ascended Master ? Not many, but there are those who are striving for it every day, and I am lucky enough to see it....everyday! 98% of my Golden Dawn experience is amazing.

I am a proud member of the Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn. I have lived by two large Temples and now I teach at another blossoming one. Because I found the Golden Dawn I am excited to get out of bed every morning. I am excited about life, and I can't wait to share that with my students, teachers, friends, family, and people I meet on the street. Before I found the Golden Dawn I had gone through a variety of traditions seeking the right path for me. When I was finally initiated into the Golden Dawn I saw more positive changes in the time I went from being a Neophyte to a Zelator than in the year I had spent at the yoga ashram meditating 8 hrs a day. Hmmm..if this path doesn't work, and if the Order I am apart of is a farce...well that's one heck of a placebo effect.

I have found this to be a true path of the Light, and I am sorry for those who have to see all this scandelous trash that is being spewed all over the internet as its only representative. Not only am I enjoying the fruits of its teachings and technique, but so are my students, my brethern, and the people whose lives I have found I can touch through the growth I have experienced here.

I am always blessed to be provided with new stories about how effective and inspirational this path is. Right my favorite inspiration is a student I have who came to the EOGD a few months ago. When I first met him he was already a deeply spiritual person, having an intesive practice everyday. But, he had some issues that he just couldn't seem to get past...years ago, he was held hostage for five hours, shot, and then witnessed his abductor commit suicide. Now, I would be comfortable saying that this would be something that few people would be able to get past their entire life. I would also like to say that if anyone were to be able to do it, it would have been him in the state of elevated consciousness he was in when I met him. But, it was a barrier he just couldn't seem to break through and it took the magic of initiation and only two rituals that he learned in the Neophyte grade for him to finally overcome what he said was the worst experience of his entire life. Amazing. This Work is amazing, and when I see people's lives change dramatically everyday I am continually inspired to continue on in this Work.

Seriously, I don't know what other people are doing, but I'm having a great life and I love the Golden Dawn. I talk to a lot of people in and out of my Order everyday...and they are doing great too! According to our forums and the people who show up to our Power Week event, there are about 3000 people world-wide who are having a great Golden Dawn experience. I think most people who are in the Golden Dawn community are having a great time doing magic, being apart of Temples, learning, teaching, communing with Angels, healing. In fact, most people are probably having such a great time...getting on the internet to talk about is probably the last thing they think about. I'm saying that because I was blogging a few times a week at first and then realized I really missed all the magic I was doing. I would gander to say if someone is spending so much time spewing up crap for you to read and get discouraged about...they probably aren't spending enough time having a great time doing magic and leading a fullfilling life....I'm just saying ;)

Nosce te Ipsum